Don't Paws for thought. Just buy it. (The Outlaw Varjak Paw - S.F. Said)

Member Name: thejazzyj

Product:	The Outlaw Varjak Paw - S.F. Said
Date:	06/08/09 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tremendous read, great characters. Beautiful illustrations

Disadvantages: Sometimes a little dark for children

Having read the exceptional 1st book in this series I was keen to get my hands on a copy of this. I paid £4.50 for the paperback version of this on Amazon. I should say that I really purchased this for my 9 year old son, however I must confess that I read it before passing it on!

Cover
=====
The wonderful illustrations of Dave McKean set the atmosphere of this book wonderfully. The tagline at the top was a bit of a let down for me, I saw no need for a reference to kung fu, the original book worked hard at removing the writer from the human workd and I felt that this tagline undid some of that good work.

Story
=====
The story follows on from the original and the principal character (Varjak Paw) returns. I don't want to give too much away so I shall make this deliberately sketchy!

Basically the setting is a city which is slowly being taken over by a gang of cats led by the ultimate villain Sally Bones. These cats rule the city by fear and intimidation. Varjak Paw is determined to make a stand with the help of his friends.

Varjak himself is in possesion of some ancient powers known as "The Way" but realises in horror that so too is Sally Bones.

To avoid revealing any more I shall leave the story synopsis at that.

The Read
=======
This book is a cracking read, it really draws you in and creates a great atmosphere. You instantly feel drawn to the lead character and his band of misfits. There are some great moments in the book that can both scare you and also bring you warmth. There are some obvious parallels to gang violence in the human world and I imagine that this has been an influence on the author.

The Audience
==========
This book is primarily aimed at children, however the committed storyline and brisk pace make it a great read for adults alike. My advice, buy it and read it to your child. Mine loved it!

Summary: Great book that reaches a wide audience